BC 2008 06 02 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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June 2, 2008 (Work Session) Page 848 The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met for an Agenda Work Session Meeting in the Multipurpose Room at the Cabarrus County Governmental Center in Concord, North Carolina on Monday, June 2, 2008, at 3:30 p.m. Present - Chairman: H. Jay White, Sr. Commissioners: Robert W. Carruth Grace M. Mynatt Coy C. Privette Absent - Vice Chairman: Joni D. Juba Also present were John Day, County Manager; Richard M. Koch, County Attorney; Mike Downs, Deputy County Manager; Kay Honeycutt, Clerk to the Board and Lori Hinson, Deputy Clerk to the Board. Call to Order Chairman White called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. He announced that Vice Chairman Juba is absent due to sickness. Expansion of the Commission to Seven Members Commissioner Carruth presented a proposal to expand the Commission to seven members. The proposal consisted of the following: each Executive Committee will provide two names to the Board of Elections by September 1, 2006 for inclusion on the November general election ballot; the top four vote-getters from that election would be elected to the Board of Commissioners; the candidates finishing first in the 2006 and 2008 general elections be awarded the two at-large seats; the remaining 5 seats be placed into districts, with 2 being voted on in 2010, and 3 being voted on in 2012; and after the new Board is convened, the Board would appoint a bipartisan committee of private citizens to determine the five district boundaries. He further recommended a public hearing on expansion of the Board be held at the June 16, 2008 regular meeting. Commissioner Mynatt also presented a proposal to expand the Board to seven members. She recommended the following: two non-partisan seats be created for the~2008-2012 term; seats would return to partisan seats in 2012; to avoid the cost of a poorly attended primary, filing should coincide with the filing schedule of the Board of Education and be open to anyone eligible to fill the position; the public would vote for two candidates in November as a separate race, with the top two vote-getters filling the positions. Concerning the establishment of district boundaries, she was in favor of waiting until the additional seats are filled before addressing this issue. A lengthy discussion ensued among County staff and members of the Board regarding district representation and boundary establishment; existing legislation for Board expansion; public input; etc. After discussion, Commissioner Mynatt MOVED to place the following proposal for expansion of the Commission to seven members on the June 16, 2008 Agenda as a New Business item, including a public hearing for 6:30 p.m.: The expansion proposal calls for the creation of two non-partisan seats for the 2008-2012 term. The seats will revert to partisan in the 2012 election. Filing will coincide with the Board of Education's filing schedule and be open to anyone eligible to hold the office of Commissioner. All candidates who file will appear on the November ballot as a separate race and the top two vote-getters will fill the newly created non-partisan seats. After the election, the Board of Commissioners will appoint a bi- partisan committee of private citizens to develop recommendations for establishing district boundaries for five of the seven seats on the Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Carruth seconded the motion. Commissioner Privette spoke in opposition to the motion stating the need for more deliberate action and public input. The MOTION carried with Chairman White and Commissioners Carruth and Mynatt voting for and Commissioner Privette voting against. Appointment of Liaison - Soil and Water Conservation District